Whereas growing an app for senior residents a few years again, Aryan Nangia, a Class 12 pupil at Pathways College, Gurugram, hit a roadblock.
“I seen that a lot of my buddies and friends had nice concepts for issues they wished to construct, however they struggled with turning these concepts into actuality. They discovered it difficult to maneuver from the ideation stage to truly coding and implementing their ideas. Even after they constructed one thing, the hurdles didn’t finish there — they confronted points with advertising and marketing, managing funds, and scaling their initiatives,” Aryan tells The Higher India.
“I skilled all of this firsthand after I was working by myself initiatives in Courses 9 and 10, and it was a troublesome journey,” he provides.
For a lot of youngsters, it is a frequent dilemma. A brilliant thought, paired with enthusiasm, usually collides with the tough actuality of turning that concept right into a tangible product. However relatively than giving up, Aryan determined to confront these obstacles head-on.
As an alternative of letting these challenges derail him, he used them because the motivation to create one thing new: ‘LaunchPad’ — a free digital platform aimed toward serving to youngsters be taught future-proof abilities and construct real-world initiatives.
The spark behind LaunchPad: A platform for younger entrepreneurs
Aryan’s journey to LaunchPad started lengthy earlier than he got down to construct his first web site.
He traces his love for creation again to childhood, recalling how he used to make intricate origami figures when he was 9. As he grew older, he started to experiment with constructing web sites and apps. By Courses 9 and 10, Aryan was totally immersed on the earth of design and know-how, fueled by the themes that have been supplied via his faculty’s Worldwide Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.
By means of his experiences, Aryan found not solely his ardour for creation but in addition the numerous challenges that got here with it. Whereas engaged on initiatives — like an app for senior residents and a activity administration web site for IB college students — he confronted quite a few obstacles, significantly across the lack of assets that spoke to his requirement as a younger creator. “I realised there was a niche within the assets obtainable for folks like me,” Aryan displays.
“We would have liked content material that was simple to grasp, sensible, and particularly designed to deal with the distinctive challenges we face when constructing one thing from scratch,” he shares. This realisation grew to become the catalyst for LaunchPad, a platform created to fill that hole — empowering younger folks to navigate the complexities of ideation, growth, and execution with confidence.
In July 2023, 15-year-old Aryan took the leap and began LaunchPad as a membership at his faculty. What started as a small group of scholars studying construct real-world initiatives quickly expanded into a world initiative. Now, lower than two years later, LaunchPad has scaled past a faculty membership to a digital platform that serves college students throughout 15 colleges in 5 nations. As we speak, the crew has expanded to a dynamic group of 15 to twenty younger people.
LaunchPad’s mission is easy: to assist college students between the ages of 12 and 17 be taught important abilities and acquire hands-on expertise in challenge growth. Nevertheless it’s not nearly studying code or design. LaunchPad focuses on a variety of future-proof abilities which can be important in at this time’s fast-changing world. These embody design considering, synthetic intelligence foundations, enterprise fundamentals, storytelling and communication, and monetary literacy.
“These are the abilities that will probably be related it doesn’t matter what profession path college students select,” Aryan explains. “They’re the constructing blocks for something they wish to create sooner or later.”
By means of interactive modules, movies, skilled interviews, shows, and quizzes, LaunchPad helps college students be taught these abilities in a enjoyable, participating, and efficient means. Every module features a guided project, designed to assist college students construct their first challenge step-by-step.
“For instance, within the design considering module, college students are inspired to discover their passions via workout routines just like the Ikigai train, which helps them discover the overlap between what they love, what they’re good at, and what issues they’ll resolve,” explains Aryan.
He emphasises that LaunchPad is designed to be accessible and interesting. “The content material is designed for youngsters, so it’s not too overwhelming, but it surely’s additionally not too primary,” he says. “We would like college students to really feel like they’re studying actual, sensible abilities that they’ll apply at their office.”
Overcoming early challenges: Launching the platform
Constructing a platform like LaunchPad wasn’t with out its challenges. One of the vital hurdles Aryan confronted was determining get approval for the concept and, extra importantly, spark curiosity amongst college students in regards to the web site. “After I first pitched the concept, I went from class to class, talking with college students and noting down their names,” he recollects.
He confronted lots of the similar obstacles that any younger entrepreneur faces when making an attempt to construct a neighborhood. He realised that so as to develop, he wanted to search out methods to extend the click-through fee on the web site and enhance person engagement.
“We began by experimenting with our advertising and marketing. I created Instagram reels and made posts for our LinkedIn web page. That actually helped us get the phrase out,” he shares.
One other problem was the event of the platform itself. Aryan had restricted expertise with coding however made use of no-code platforms that allowed him to concentrate on the front-end design whereas his buddies helped with the back-end coding. “I realized so much alongside the way in which. However my buddies actually helped me fine-tune the web site,” he provides.
Regardless of his perfectionist tendencies, Aryan knew the significance of launching at first was good. “We delayed the launch by a month as a result of I wished all the pieces to look excellent. However ultimately, we needed to launch and simply work on bettering issues primarily based on suggestions,” he admits.
As LaunchPad continued to develop, he understood that gathering suggestions from customers was important to bettering the platform. “One of the rewarding components of this journey has been listening to from college students who say that LaunchPad is one thing they’ve by no means skilled earlier than,” says Aryan. “They’re studying abilities that they wouldn’t have realized in class, and that’s what retains me motivated.”
Rewarding affect: College students’ success tales
LaunchPad’s method can also be extremely personalised. Along with the course content material, the platform provides mentorship, the place college students are paired with volunteers who information them primarily based on their pursuits. For instance, a pupil fascinated by robotics could be related with a volunteer who specialises in that space. “It’s actually about offering first-hand recommendation and assist throughout their project-building journey,” Aryan explains.
“Storytelling and communication train you to introduce your self correctly, and it’s relevant in every single place,” says Armaan Mahajan, a 14-year-old pupil at Pathway College whose reference to LaunchPad has been transformative.
Armaan gained invaluable abilities in design considering, enterprise methods, and problem-solving, which he applies throughout varied fields. He highlights how the programme’s concentrate on smooth abilities, like storytelling and communication, has helped him current himself extra successfully. “I’m engaged on growing abilities that can assist me determine the best profession,” he provides, with a specific curiosity in finance and laptop science.
Saira Dua, a 16-year-old pupil within the IB programme at Pathway College, Gurugram, is a passionate psychological well being advocate, podcaster, and a powerful communicator. Reflecting on her journey with LaunchPad, she says, “The shift from being a pupil to a mentor has been a rewarding expertise. It’s fairly superior to now assign the identical worksheets I as soon as did as a pupil, it appears like coming full circle.”
Throughout her time as a pupil, she realized invaluable abilities like design considering, storytelling, and communication. “I’m a greater speaker and author at this time due to the storytelling and communication module,” she shares, noting how LaunchPad’s participating shows and actions helped her navigate advanced ideas like public talking and writing.
One idea that also resonates along with her is Ikigai — the concept of discovering goal via the intersection of what you like, what you’re good at, and what the world wants. “It feels wonderful to attach with folks and assist them out,” she provides, emphasising the fulfilling nature of her mentorship.
Aaryaman (17), learning at Canadian Worldwide College, Bengaluru, is captivated with laptop science and synthetic intelligence. At present within the IB programme, he codes in his free time and participates in hackathons. Aaryaman took on the function of Head of Expertise for LaunchPad. By means of this expertise, Aaryaman realized new technical abilities, significantly in backend growth utilizing WordPress.
He says it was tough to design an internet site that’s each user-friendly and visually interesting to a broader viewers, however he felt an important sense of accomplishment when he noticed the ultimate consequence. “LaunchPad is a really promising challenge,” he concludes, recognising its potential for progress and affect.
Over time, Aryan envisions LaunchPad changing into a self-sustaining neighborhood. “The concept is that after college students full the course, they’ll select to develop into mentors themselves and information new college students. On this means, the neighborhood grows and continues to assist others,” he shares.
As we speak, LaunchPad serves college students in over 15 colleges and works with a number of NGOs to increase its affect. Aryan’s final aim is to proceed making the platform accessible to as many college students as doable. “We wish to make sure that no monetary boundaries stand in the way in which of scholars studying these important abilities,” says Aryan. “Every little thing we provide is totally free, and we hope to maintain it that means.”
Way forward for LaunchPad
Sooner or later, Aryan plans to broaden the age vary of the platform to cater to school college students as nicely. “Many school college students are additionally in search of that first expertise with constructing one thing of their very own, and we wish to present them with the instruments and assets they want,” he explains.
LaunchPad’s affect is clear within the rising variety of college students who’ve created real-world initiatives — starting from NGOs to apps and web sites. As of at this time, over 300 college students have used the platform to develop initiatives, and Aryan believes the true take a look at will come when newer college students proceed to create modern and impactful work.
Wanting again on his journey, Aryan has realized invaluable classes that he’s desperate to share with different younger aspiring entrepreneurs. “My greatest piece of recommendation is don’t be afraid to fail. The primary iteration of something you create is rarely going to be good. However as soon as you set it on the market and begin getting suggestions, you’ll enhance every time. Don’t let the worry of failure cease you from launching,” he remarks.
He additionally encourages college students to pursue what they love. “Typically, we overthink our concepts. One of the best initiatives usually come from easy concepts that you just’re captivated with. Give attention to what excites you, and also you’ll be amazed at what you may create,” he provides.
LaunchPad has come a good distance since its humble beginnings, however Aryan’s imaginative and prescient stays the identical — to assist younger folks construct real-world initiatives, be taught invaluable abilities, and put together for the long run. “We wish to equip college students with the instruments they should succeed,” he reiterates.
As the web site continues to develop, Aryan stays dedicated to the concept one of the best ways to be taught is by doing. “On the finish of the day, we’re a platform constructed by college students, for college kids,” he says. “We wish to guarantee that each pupil who joins LaunchPad has the chance to construct one thing they’re pleased with and acquire abilities that can assist them all through their lives.”
Edited by Pranita Bhat; All images courtesy Aryan Nangia
